Eventually
by LeBibish
Summary: Songfic. Ranma contemplates the words to a song and compares them to his life. Someone else finds the song, and does the same.
1. Ranma's POV

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Rumiko Takahashi's characters, which means everyone mentioned here. I do not own the song "Eventually" by Pink from the album Missundaztood. I am not making any money. At all. From anything. Gah.

Song lyrics are in italic.

*Ranma's POV*

_I'm an opportunity _

_And I knock so softly _

            The boy stared down at the lines written in his notebook. They weren't entirely right. Not everyone saw him as an opportunity. Some people saw him as an obstacle. Of course, even they were more than happy to use him as an opportunity if the chance came. He snorted and turned his head away from the notebook.

            It had been this way for as long as he could remember. His father had certainly always seen him as an opportunity. Nothing more.  

_Sometimes I get loud _

_When I wish everybody'd just get off me_

            He wanted to yell, to scream:

            "Shut up!"

            "Leave me alone!"

            Every once in awhile, he tried. But nobody paid any attention. They were fighting over him constantly, but they never listened to him. Those few times he had exploded they had--if they noticed at all--passed it off as a bad day or him feeling sick. Sometimes they would try to be quiet, to be nice, for a little while. It always ended up as a fight between the girls about who would take care of him, or one of the guys would "protest," or someone new would show up...

_So many players _

_You'd think I was a board game_

            The fiancées: Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo, and Kodachi. The guys chasing the fiancées: Ryouga, Kuno, Tsubasa, and Mousse. The supporters of the fiancées: the fathers, Cologne, and Sasuke--sometimes. The various random elements such as his mother, Happousai, and Nabiki. And those were just the main players. Others were appearing and disappearing constantly.

            At first, he thought he was the prize, until he realized that he was the _game_. It wasn't about him anymore--if it ever had been. It was about *them*--their pride, their position in the game. They only used him to advance their positions.

_It's every man for themselves _

_There are no teammates _

            Occasionally, they would try to team up to achieve a common goal. The girls would work together to get rid of any new rival. The guys would collaborate in an effort to defeat him. Sometimes, they would even team up with him to try to find a cure for the curses or to rescue whoever was the latest kidnapee.

            It always fell apart in the end. Sometimes, it would even fall apart in the middle. The girls would start arguing over him. The guys would start arguing over who got to beat him up. Half the time when they seemed to be working together, everyone was really plotting against each other.

_This life gets lonely_

            Alone in a sea of people, he had no one to talk to. No one who cared about _him_.

_When everybody wants something _

_They'll smile up in your face _

            He laughed under his breath--not a happy laugh, but a short, bitter one. They all smiled so much. When they wanted something, they'd smile. And when they thought they had won--oh, they always smiled then. Sweet happy smiles, wide grins, even wider smirks...the kind of smiles that filled him with rage and made him want to hit something or someone.

_But they'll get theirs eventually _

_And I hope I'm there_

_Surrounded by familiar faces with no name _

_None of them know me _

_Or want to share my pain_

            Not one of them really knew him. If you asked them about him, they would tell you what he looked like. They would tell you he was a martial artist. The best. Even those who hated him would grudgingly admit that he was good. Very good.

            They could tell you a lot about him, actually. They would tell you that he was strong, fast, selfish, arrogant, greedy, rude, and handsome...

            They couldn't tell you his favorite color or if there was anything he liked besides martial arts and food. They could tell you he sucked at cards, but they couldn't tell you anything he was good at--again, except for martial arts and eating.

            Most of all, they couldn't tell you how he felt about anything. Because they never even tried to listen to him when he told them. They didn't care what he said or felt. All they cared about was what they wanted him to say.

_They only wish to bask in my light _

_Then fade away_

            If he did anything good, someone else would always take the credit.

            "I'm the one who taught him that."

            "He did it for me."

            Some were more subtle than others.

            "He is such a good pupil. The best I've ever had."

            "Thank you so much for helping me." But always with a sly look at the others.

            Always with a look of such pride in their faces. Pride in themselves, not in him.

_To win my love, to them a game _

_To watch me live my life in vain_

            They all had their own dreams about him. The fathers expected him to run the dojo and support them. Ukyo wanted him to become a cook and help her sell okonomiyaki. Cologne and Shampoo saw him as breeding stock, a second-class citizen, someone to come home to. Kodachi and Akane were harder to figure out, but they did seem to see him as a knight in shining armor, someone they could mould into the perfect husband.

            They never seemed to understand that he wouldn't be happy in the roles they laid out for him. That, in such roles, he would fade away day by day until he was just a shell. Or perhaps they just didn't care.

_When all is done and the glitter fades, fades away_

_They'll get theirs eventually_

_And I hope I'm there_

_I drank your poison _

_'Cause you told me it's wine _

            He could remember the day he had first arrived in Nerima. The girl who had defended him and who had been the first and only person to ever ask him "Do you want to be friends?"

            But that had been a lie. He wasn't a girl and so she didn't want to be friends. And no matter how much he hoped and wished, no matter what he might have believed in the beginning, none of them wanted to be friends.

_Shame on you if you fooled me once_

_Shame on me if you fooled me twice_

            He didn't believe them anymore. There was no one left to believe in. Even his own mother wanted something, wanted him to be someone else.

_I didn't know the price_

_You'll get yours eventually_

_So what good am I to you_

_If I can't be broken_

            He wouldn't let them break him. He wouldn't bend to their dreams and lose himself. But sometimes he wondered if it wasn't too late. If he hadn't already lost too much...

_You'll get yours, yes_

_You'll get yours eventually_


	2. Kasumi's POV

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Rumiko Takahashi's characters, which means everyone mentioned here. I do not own the song "Eventually" by Pink from the album Missundaztood. I am not making any money. At all. From anything. Gah.

Song lyrics are in italic.

*Kasumi's POV*

            She slowly stepped into the room. A fight had broken out only moments ago. Nothing new. Ryouga had shown up shouting out his usual catch phrase. Akane had followed, enraged that Ranma would dare to "pick on poor Ryouga." Shampoo and Mousse had shown up soon after that and Ranma had moved the fight away from the house, subtly leading everyone to the park nearby.

            He could be so thoughtful...she shook her head. Ranma was Akane's. Or possibly Ukyo's. Or Shampoo's? Not Kodachi's...

            Suddenly, she noticed a notebook lying on the floor, its pages crumpled and dirty. She picked it up, intending to put it away, but the handwriting caught her eye. It was his.

            She knew she shouldn't read it. It would be a violation of his privacy. But...she was so worried about him. The look in his eyes lately...

            Feeling guilty, she went into her room, sat down on her bed, and opened the notebook.

_I'm an opportunity _

_And I knock so softly _

            She smiled. Everything about him was so loud, it seemed funny to imagine him knocking softly. Although, he could be very quiet sometimes. He was always so happy and it seemed like he was always in motion, but she had seen him sit so quietly, so incredibly still, just looking out at the world. And he seemed as content to be still as to be in motion. Just as happy in either state.

_Sometimes I get loud _

_When I wish everybody'd just get off me_

Now, she giggled softly. She could remember so many times when people had been literally standing on him. How they didn't notice that they were standing on a person and not the ground, she would never understand.

_So many players _

_You'd think I was a board game_

            This time, she sighed. It was true, there were so many people around him, so many people involved in the chaos of his life. 

_It's every man for themselves _

_There are no teammates _

_This life gets lonely_

            She paused in her reading. This struck a chord with her. She...she was lonely too. She spent so much time unacknowledged, unseen, taking care of everyone else. She had no one to talk to. No one to be with. She hadn't thought it would be that way for him. He had so many people surrounding him, it was hard to imagine him ever being lonely. But she had heard someone say once that it was worse to be alone in a crowd than to be alone by yourself. Maybe that was how he felt.

_When everybody wants something _

_They'll smile up in your face _

            This also hit home.

            "Kasumi, I'm having friends over tonight, could you cook a big dinner?"

            "Kasumi, could you hem my dress for me?"

            "Kasumi, would you do the laundry? The cooking? The shopping? The cleaning?"

            All asked with an accompanying smile. Eventually, the questions mostly disappeared. They just expected her to do it all. But they still smiled those empty smiles at her.

_But they'll get theirs eventually _

_And I hope I'm there_

            Yes...No!!! She had forgotten that this wasn't hers. It was Ranma's. He had written this. She thought she should be worried about her family and the others. But she wasn't. She was worried about him. What was happening to push him so far? It wasn't like him, this vague threat. He was really such a gentle boy. He always held back against everyone, he always did his best not to really hurt anyone. Even when they attacked him first, he still held back and didn't hurt them anymore than they could easily handle.

_Surrounded by familiar faces with no name _

_None of them know me _

_Or want to share my pain_

            Her heart hurt for him. And for herself. Because it was as true for her as it was for him. They wanted her to smile, be serene and happy, and take care of them. They didn't want to hear that she was unhappy, or lonely, or that she didn't want to this, to be that. She was supposed to be the perfect lady, the perfect daughter, and the perfect big sister.

_They only wish to bask in my light _

_Then fade away_

_To win my love, to them a game _

_To watch me live my life in vain_

"Oh, Ranma..."

_When all is done and the glitter fades, fades away_

_They'll get theirs eventually_

_And I hope I'm there_

            Suddenly, she hoped so too. She didn't really believe he'd ever hurt them. But she wanted to be there when they finally lost him. She wanted to see them realize exactly how much they had lost. 

_I drank your poison _

_'Cause you told me it's wine _

_Shame on you if you fooled me once_

_Shame on me if you fooled me twice_

            She had the feeling that he meant this metaphorically, but it was also true in a very literal sense. He ran from Akane's food and she had seen him secretly check his food to make sure there was nothing *wrong* with it. But...he was never quite so wary with her food...She smiled.

_I didn't know the price_

_You'll get yours eventually_

_So what good am I to you_

_If I can't be broken_

            He wouldn't be broken. She was determined. She wouldn't let them do that to him! And... she wouldn't let them do that to herself anymore either.

            She glanced down at the last words on the page.

_You'll get yours, yes_

_You'll get yours eventually_

This time, it seemed more like a promise than a threat. Everybody would get what they deserved. And if what you deserved was something good?

            She smiled--a real smile, not her normal plastic smile.


	3. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Rumiko Takahashi's characters, which means everyone mentioned here. I do not own the song "Eventually" by Pink from the album Missundaztood. I am not making any money. At all. From anything. Gah.

Song lyrics are in italic.

*Ranma's POV*

            He looked down at the woman in his arms. He had been wrong all those years ago. Not everybody was playing the game. Some of them were for real.

            She smiled up at him. Far from making him feel angry, this smile made him happy because it said that she was happy. That she loved him.

            It had taken a while. They hadn't broken him, but they had broken his ability to trust. He had been wary of her for a very long time. He had been afraid, afraid that what she was offering was a lie. But it wasn't and as she continued to be there, to offer him her friendship and eventually her love, she had convinced him.

            He smiled back and her and hugged her to him.

*Kasumi's POV*

            Kasumi Saotome reveled in the warmth of her husband. Since their daughter had been born, they had had very little time to themselves. She treasured every moment. She loved him so much.

            She remembered when she had started down this path. To think that one little poem could start so much...she looked up at her husband and smiled. He smiled back at her.

You'll get yours eventually 

AN:

It has always seemed to me that Ranma and Kasumi have some major things in common, and that that might be a good reason for a relationship. This ficlet was born because I wanted to write something for this song, and when I looked at it, I realized I saw elements of both Ranma and Kasumi in it. Someday, if I find inspiration, I may write the middle of this. Y'know, the way the relationship begins and evolves. But for now, all I have is the beginning and the end. Not enough to satisfy an English teacher, but then, most of the English teachers (although not all) wouldn't particularly like any song-fic either. Shrug.


End file.
